We knew going into things that this was a difficult itinerary because of the tides on the river. We found the ship to be clean and comfortable, and the staff were very good. Service most times was excellent, but there were constant issues with service in the dining room. Several nights were seated by the staff, and the rest of the time it was seat yourself. It was very confusing. We often didn't get the meal ordered, or part of it didn't show up at all. Bar service was excellent. We did enjoy the Chef's tasting, and did this twice during the trip.

The excursions were the big problem we had with this cruise. We had several excursions that had real issues. One day only two out of four buses showed up in Bordeaux for an afternoon excursion. The other two buses went to PAUILLAC by mistake. We had mass confusion on the dock while the staff tried to figure out what to do. Groups were moved from one bus to another and back again, while guides were trying to explain what the issue was. At no point did anyone from the ship board our bus to explain what the situation was. Finally approximately 15 people were not able to board a bus, and after 45 minutes with the staff trying to figure things out, the two buses left, and those 15 people waited another hour in the dock for another bus to arrive. In order to straighten the problem out, the two buses from PAUILLAC met us the Chateau Margaux At that point we had some people leave our bus, and we headed to our wine tasting. After about 45 minutes of time at the winery, we went back to the Chateau Margaux, (which was closed), so that people could take pictures, We then back tracked again on our way to Pauillac. We covered the same road 3 times. We then continued on to a bus tour of viewing famous chateaus from the road, and spent a further two hours on the bus. We spent 5 hours on a tour that included 45 minutes of time at a winery.

The day before our visit to the market at Bazas, we arrived just as the market was closing. Again there was confusion with some guides telling people we had 15 minutes before meeting the bus, and others saying 45 minutes. There is a lot of work to be done on communication with this itinerary. Read more